Hearts: Broken, Bursting, and Otherwise
by Baroness3
Summary: Blaine and his husband Kurt receive a visit from Blaine's niece,a vulnerable teenager in need of a home. Needless to say, Lauren will make her mark on the Klaine home, in more ways than one. Future!fic, with eventual Klaine!kids
1. Picture Frames and Opened Doors

More than anything else in the entire building, Kurt loved the big bay window in the apartment he shared with Blaine, his husband. It looked out on the city skyline, bright with ads, skyscrapers, and traffic- a constant reminder that they were in New York City. Along the windowsill, they had arranged various pictures. There were wedding photos, various couple snapshots, a picture of Glee Club (taken right after the 2012 Nationals win), and family photos from both Blaine's side and Kurt's side. The window, Kurt thought, could sum up their entire lives. One night, the two men were cuddled up on the couch, watching the snowflakes fall on nighttime New York. Life was pretty close to perfect, as both of them had scored dream jobs (Blaine was a lawyer at a prestigious defense attorney's office, and Kurt was working as an aesthetics director at Vogue) a great apartment, and each other. Blaine was even beginning to push for a kid, suggesting a surrogate.

"Kurt, we'll be thirty in three years! Come on, we'd make great dads! We could be the next Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka."

Kurt only smiled and shook his head a little. "You'd be a great dad, yes. I just don't know if I'm ready. I mean, what if we forgot to feed it, or could turn it off or something? We've got years, though…maybe for like, a thirtieth birthday gift?"

Blaine smiled back "Christmas present? We've got two weeks left, after all."

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Kurt reluctantly untangled himself from the mass of arms and blankets. "I'll get it. Venice is dropping by some proofs from today's shoot- the one with the Alexander McQueen, cellophane, and live octopi, remember?"

As Kurt scurried to the door, Blaine couldn't help but roll his eyes. _Really? Live octopi? _

Kurt pulled open the door, and was met by a petite teenage girl, shivering in a thin blue pea coat and a gray knit beret. Snow clung to the dark brown curls peeping out from under her hat, and her hazel eyes were slightly damp and red. She managed a weak smile as she introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Lauren. Blaine's niece. I'm really sorry to bother you guys, but I kind of didn't know where else to-"

Blaine appeared behind Kurt in the doorway, and immediately gasped. "Lauren? Sweetheart, come in." He swept an arm around her, ushering her inside. "Kurt can you make some coffee? Lauren, what are you doing here, in New York City, alone, at night?"

Blaine settled Lauren on the couch, where she perched, still wiping at her eyes. She gratefully sipped at her coffee and chatted with Blaine and Kurt, telling them about the three hours she'd spent lost in New York City, terrified until some woman outside a Broadway marquee had helped her hail a cab. She even managed a few laughs, but both Blaine and Kurt could tell that something was wrong. Finally, Kurt slipped away to get the guest room ready, leaving Blaine and his niece alone to talk.

"Okay. Something's wrong, Laur. What is it? School? Were you cut from a show? Is it Amy?" Amy was Blaine's older sister, Lauren's mom, a notorious control freak and homophobe. Both Blaine and Lauren loathed her. "Friends? Boys?"

Lauren sighed "Close enough. Last night, around ten, almost a day ago now, I told my parents…something. They didn't take it well, at all. I got kicked out, and they say they're going to disown me, and I hate this so much. I hate myself, and I hate them, and…"

"Sweetheart!" Blaine wrapped a protective arm around Lauren. "Are you pregnant? We can get you an abortion, okay? You're 16, it's legal. It's fine. You're fine."

"God, no. Not pregnant. Blaine, I'm…well, at least I know you won't kick me out." Lauren took a final deep breath, her voice coming out as a chocking whisper. "I'm bi." With this, Lauren commenced to some kind of sobbing, while Blaine stroked her hair, whispering that everything was fine. Kurt peeped in the living room, but once he saw the scene unfolding, he tactfully retreated to the master bedroom, giving the two a little space. He groaned, absently recalling the time he'd come out to his father. He had cried too, and Burt had held him tight. Kurt couldn't imagine what would have happened it Burt had responded the way Lauren's family had. Actually, Kurt realized, he could imagine. The result was in his living room, sitting on the couch, sobbing into Blaine's shoulder.

Finally, Lauren was calm enough for Blaine to start asking questions.

"So, what exactly happened? How did they react? Other than kicking you out, I mean?"

Lauren's voice was unnaturally flat, like she was reciting lines from a script. "They yelled. My mom started crying, and my dad chucked a vase across the room. It barely missed my head. He kept on hollering that I was just pretending to be "half gay". My mom wouldn't stop asking how to fix me."

Blaine was taken aback. He had known that his sister and her husband were homophobic, but this? "And then they kicked you out?"

"I got an hour and a half to pack." She nodded to the pair of massive suitcases at the door. "Fortunately, I'm a fast packer. They were awful about it, always yelling at me that I was running out of time. On the way out, my mom threw a billfold at me. Ten thousand dollars, Blaine."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. She called me a dyke as she handed it to me, though. I wish…I wish she'd kept it."

"God…Amy. Look, here's the deal Lauren. I'm pretty sure she'd take you back, but I don't think you really want to go back. Do you?"

Lauren snorted through her tears. "No. Ohio was my worst nightmare. I know you and Kurt had each other, and the choir, and you two plowed through it all, but I don't think that's happening for me."

"That's what I thought. So, I'd have to check with Kurt, of course, but do you want to stay here? There's a public arts school, we could get you in next semester. You could live here, finish up high school…"

Lauren's eyes began to gain some hope. "Really? I don't want to be in your guys' way. I mean, I'd love to but…"

"So it's settled. I'll talk to Kurt, who'll say yes, and you'll stay with us."

"Thanks. For letting me stay, and for dealing with all this. I'm a mess." Lauren laughed a little, obviously a little embarrassed about the evening's events. "It's just so…you know."

"I do know. It's awful, trust me, I get it. But you have money, a place to stay, and some halfway sane family. We'll get through this, okay?"

"Okay." Lauren smiled up at Blaine, a crooked grin that assured him that he was right. She would be fine.

...

That night, Blaine and Kurt lay in bed together, speaking in soft whispers. Lauren was asleep in the guest room, where she had retreated, exhausted, as soon as Kurt had finished convincing her to eat massive amounts of potato and leek soup along with slices of baguette.

"So." Blaine was treading carefully with Kurt, who seemed to really like Lauren the person, but would most likely be less than thrilled with Lauren as a concept.

"She's sweet. And yes, of course she can stay as long as she needs to."

"You're so creepy when you do that." Blaine smirked as he cuddled in closer to Kurt, who happily held him tighter.

"I know. Mind reading is one of my many singularly remarkable talents."

Blaine still wasn't content with Kurt's response, sincere as it had been. "Are you sure, though? She's great, really more like a college student than a highschooler, but it would be for a year and a half. You'd have to follow through with it, and I don't want to do something like this without consulting you fully."

"You're talking like a lawyer again, Blaine. But, in all seriousness, I could probably deal with a little parenting of a teenage girl. As long as I don't have to buy tampons, or give massive emotional advice on a regular basis."

"I can deal with massive emotional advice." Blaine squirmed a bit against Kurt. "And she can buy her own tampons. Even I'm not that brave."

Kurt considered the situation a bit more. "And" he decided aloud "A teenage quasi-daughter would be an excellent excuse to watch romantic comedies and look at prom dresses online."

"You do that anyway, darling."

"Yes, but now I've got more justification."

"You're bizarre, Kurt. Bizarre in a completely adorable way."

There was only one response to that. Kurt leaned in, and gave his husband a long, warm kiss.

That night, Blaine and Kurt help each other more closely than usual. Neither of them would admit it, but remembering the painful process of teenage sexuality was a little bit heart wrenching, especially when the current example involved disownment and greyhound busses.

Lauren, meanwhile, had fallen into a deep sleep, a little bit plagued by tears and snippets of nightmares, but mostly calm. She was safe, that much was sure. The next morning, she would wake up. She would still be sixteen, still be bisexual, still be a tiny bit broken, and still be some crazy kind of fine.

**This is a setup for a fairly long saga of Klaine adult, with some Lauren here and there. By the way, this Lauren has nothing to do with Lauren Zices, of prior Glee fame. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always, reviews, suggestions, and prompts are always more than welcome!**

**Merry Christmas, by the way! **


	2. Dial

Kurt woke up late on Saturday, to the smell of French toast and bacon, and the sound of Liza Minnelli belting her heart out on "Maybe This Time." Yawning, he shuffled into the apartment's cramped kitchen, where Blaine stood at the stove, wearing an apron, his hair ruffled from sleep. He was frying bacon while Lauren kept watch over the French toast sizzling on another burner. Finally, Kurt got a good look at Lauren. She bared a strong resemblance to Blaine, with dark brown curls identical to his, and the same warm hazel eyes. She was small, too, probably the exact same proportions Blaine would have if he was a girl. Kurt saw some other piece of his husband in her, but he couldn't quite put a pin on it.

Blaine's cheerful greeting broke Kurt's reverie. "Morning, beautiful! Want breakfast?"

Lauren was in a good mood as well, apparently rebounded from the previous evening's assorted traumas. "Hi, Mr. Hummel."

Rubbing at his eyes, Kurt managed a few replies. "Morning. Hi. Call me Kurt. Mr. Hummel's too mechanicy. French toast, no dead pig. Too greasy. Heart thingy."

Looking at Kurt, Blaine started to crack up, and Lauren followed suite, glancing down at her cooking in an effort to hide her giggles. Blaine pulled himself together enough to pass Kurt a plate of food. "Okay, no dead pig. I'm pretty sure you're doing fine on avoiding heart attacks, by the way. Oh, and Kurt? Mechanicy's not a word."

Settling in with his breakfast, Kurt became aware of a different feel at the table. Three years of daily breakfasts with Blaine had been wonderful, and he didn't thing they would ever get boring, but another person at the table was weirdly nice. Lauren was fairly quiet, obviously not wanting to be in the way, but nonetheless, a third person was kind of fun. Blaine seemed different, too. Just as happy, but definitely different.

"So anyway, Kurt, Lauren, I have a kick-ass idea!" Blaine looked really, really excited- almost dangerously excited.

Kurt raised his hand a little, smirking. "Last time you got this excited, I ended up hiking…"

Lauren turned to Kurt. "He sent you hiking, too?" Both of them began to laugh.

"No, not hiking you two. Although it could be arranged." Blaine shook his head. "Lauren, want to see New York City at Christmas time?"

Blaine didn't know who was more excited, Lauren or Kurt. An hour later, the three of them were on the streets, doing every single New York thing they could think of- ice skating, gazing into store windows, gawking at lights and giant Christmas trees, getting sandwiches at a Kosher deli- Lauren pointed out the irony-and getting dragged into every single designer store Kurt saw. They concluded the evening with dinner, eating at Blaine and Kurt's favorite Chinese place.

Slurping up a few noodles, Kurt realized how tired he was. Blaine and Lauren were yawning, too, but Lauren had a look of blissful happiness on her face. "I can't believe I finally got to see New York freaking City at Christmas!" she mused aloud.

Blaine smiled, too. "Yeah. It may or may not have been the deciding factor of moving here. Y'know, other than gay marriage laws. Speaking of which…"A looking of mixed dread and duty spread across Blaine's face "I should probably call Amy when we get back. We've tortured her long enough."

"Meh." Lauren said. "I got about 16 years. Can we at least give her a month?"

Blaine smirked, but held his ground. "I won't make you talk to her, and I swear to be as bitingly sarcastic as I possibly can."

Kurt couldn't help but interject himself. "Speak in monosyllabic sentences, too! And be passive aggressive at every opportunity you get!"

"Send her obnoxious magazine clippings on parenting!" Lauren was giggling. "Or a thank you note for the wedding gift she never sent."

This went on for some time, the mind tricks ranging from one-liners to porcupines released in a certain suburban foyer. Finally, as the trio arrived back at the apartment, laughing and shivering from the cold, Blaine pulled out his blackberry. He ran a hand through his, and clicked into contacts, scrolling to find his sister's number. He and Kurt sat down on the sofa, side by side. Lauren perched on the edge of an armchair, looking nervous.

Blaine inhaled, and pressed call. "Wish me luck" he mouthed silently.

"You'll need it." Lauren stared at her hands as she muttered this, uncharacteristically tense.

After three rings, Blaine heard his older sister's voice. She sounded tired, and angry. "Hello?"

"Amy." Blaine kept his voice measured. _God, he wanted to kill her._

"Blaine. What's this? I thought we agreed to abstain from unnecessary contact."

"That was actually a rather one-sided agreement. Regardless, this is far from unnecessary." Kurt was anxiously squeezing Blaine's knee, hoping that his partner would remain relatively calm. Lauren was deathly pale, about to start biting at her nails out of panic.

"Oh." Concern was evident in Amy's voice.

"Yes, _oh._ Lauren's here. She took a goddamn bus, after you _kicked her out_, for no reason-"

"Excuse me? There was a reason, and you know it! You and your "It gets better" and your "Born This Way" and your gay, gay, gay! You're probably the one who broke my daughter!"

Blaine was literally grating his teeth as he responded. "Do not go there. Don't Amy, I swear to god- Anyway, she's here. She's safe-no thanks to you."

After a few moments of static filled silence, Amy spoke. "Fine. Just let me talk to her."

"To Lauren? Really? After everything?" Blaine glanced at Lauren. She nodded at him and held out her hand for the phone, shaking slightly.

Blaine would always regret what he did next. He handed the phone to her.

"Hi, mom."

Amy began talking immediately after Lauren's greeting, obviously as nervous as her daughter. "Lauren, your father and I have decided that our expulsion of you was rash." Blaine raised his eyebrows at Lauren, checking to see if she was okay. She nodded, making a gagging gesture at him as she listened. "We have decided to send you somewhere. A camp. It has excellent results, you'll be better in no time, and then we can revisit your living situation. I'm sure the gays are a poor influence."

Lauren's face began to crumble. "Mom, stop it. Please, just stop it. I'm not-I'm not going to play this game anymore. I'm not you. I'm sorry, but I have no bland little set of screwed-up suburban values. This is me! I might be able to like that someday, if you didn't keep on doing this!"

Pacing, Blaine seemed to be a mix of concerned and proud.

Suddenly, Lauren removed the phone from her ear, and jabbed the end button like her life depended on it. "Well." She handed the phone to Blaine quietly. "I am now officially a 'gay smoothie'. That's a new one, even for her. Would it be okay if I went to bed? I'm really tired."

"Of course. Do you want to talk about it?" Blaine began to walk toward his obviously upset niece.

"I'm good. Thanks."

"Okay. Goodnight. Love you."

Kurt offered Lauren a sympathetic smile. "Goodnight. Get some rest."

That night, around one am, Blaine and Kurt awoke simultaneously to an inhuman yelling noise from Lauren's room. Kurt began frantically searching for his cashmere bathrobe.

"Oh my lord! Is she being murdered?"

Blaine was already halfway down the hall. He slid into Lauren's room, where she was sitting up in bed, obviously not truly awake, screaming and moaning in terror.

Without a second thought, Blaine sat down on the edge of Lauren's bed, taking her two hands into his. He gave the clammy palms a gentle squeeze. "Lauren, I'm right here." His voice was low and gentle, although his mind was racing. "Wake up, Laur. Come back to us."

Kurt stood at the doorway, peering into the room. He remembered this scene all too well, from his own high school career. He had suffered from night terrors on and off since the age of fourteen- still battling incidents of terror once in a while. Blaine did the same thing for him, taking his hands and whispering him awake. Kurt then realized that Blaine thought those things were just nightmares- he had no idea what was going on with Lauren.

"It's a night terror, Blaine. Like mine."

Blaine looked up, still holding Lauren's hands as she thrashed and screamed in her sleep. "A what? Wait…I read about those once. Those are your nightmare thingies? Oh my god, I had no idea, Kurt! I am so sorry!"

Kurt only shook his head. "It's fine. This one's worse than mine usually were, er, are. You might want to try harder to wake her up."

Nodding, Blaine began speaking a little louder. "Lauren? Lauren, wake up. It's fine. Wake up. Nothing's going to hurt you, I swear."

Kurt whispered across the room to Blaine. "I'll turn on a light, that usually helps quite a bit. Should I stay?"

Blaine considered this. "Wait outside till she gets her bearings. I might need you if it gets any worse-" Lauren's thrashing had gotten particularly scary "- But I think she'd probably be pretty embarrassed that anyone saw this, especially you. Thanks, though, love."

Kurt flicked on a light. "You're welcome, angel. Good luck." With that, he slipped behind the door, where he could hear whimpering and whispers, till finally things seemed calm. He could hear Lauren say something coherent, and Blaine reply. Assured that all was comparatively fine, Kurt slipped back to bed.

In bed, Kurt slipped on his earbuds and began to scroll through music on his iPod, waiting for Blaine to return. Finding the perfect album choice, he clicked shuffle. The song that greeted him was familiar, and almost eerily relevant.

_Do you wake up in the morning and need help to lift your head?  
>Do you read obituaries and feel jealous of the dead?<br>It's like living on a cliffside not knowing when you'll dive.  
>Do you know, do you know what it's like to die alive?<em>

_When the world that once had color fades to white and gray and black.  
>When tomorrow terrifies you, but you'll die if you look back.<br>You don't know.  
>I know you don't know.<br>You say that you're hurting, it sure doesn't show.  
>You don't know.<br>You tell me let go.  
>And you may say so, but I say you don't know.<br>_

Kurt rolled over, knowing what came next, knowing how many times he'd felt it.

_The sensation that you're screaming, but you never make a sound.  
>Or the feeling that you're falling, but you never hit the ground.<br>It just keeps on rushing at you day by day by day by day.  
>You don't know, you don't know what it's like to live that way.<br>Like a refugee, a fugitive, forever on the run.  
>If it gets me it will kill me, but I don't know what I've done.<em>

The next day, he decided, Lauren was going to be listening to a new song. _Really,_ he mused _They should have required listening for anyone who's ever had one of these things. _

**This was such a fun chapter for me to write…angst, NYC during the holidays, dead pig, more angst, night terrors, Klainebows, and my favorite musical! (The song, by the way, is You Don't Know, from the thoroughly under-appreciated show Next to Normal.) **

**This is part of a three-shot arc. I've got two more planned out- that should get us through Wednesday. And, because I'm on break and bored, I've hidden a Wicked reference within the installment. Be the first to tell me what it is, via comment, and you can pick a one-shot prompt for me! **

**Hints: It's from a song in act 1, and it's a very short snippet! **

**Also, I love reviews- positive or negative! **


	3. Night

It was roughly a half hour later when Blaine tiptoed back into the master bedroom, yawning.

"To be honest" Blaine murmured into Kurt's ear "I'm not surprised. She took things pretty well last night, but all this must be her worst nightmare."

"Mmmm, yeah. I feel bad for her. I remember my first night terror. I was fourteen." Kurt gave a little snort-his panic was almost amusing in hindsight. "God, they were hell. The look on her face…I felt that way." Kurt shook his head ever so slightly. As sweet as Lauren was, he wasn't ready to feel this much empathy for her. After all, she was just a few steps beyond childhood, and Kurt was absolutely not ready to consider parenting anyone.

Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist, curling around his husband, kissing his temple. "As much as I don't want to, I can't evade the business trip to California tomorrow. It'll only be four days, and Lauren's incredibly self-sufficient, and as long as she's not in Ohio, I think she'll be okay. I'll miss you like crazy, of course."

The damn trip. With the excitement of Lauren's arrival, both men had been largely ignoring it. Kurt nuzzled Blaine, turning to face him. "What are you trying to say here? It's painfully obvious you want a favor."

"I do. But you can say no."

Kurt laughed "Thanks for your _permission_."

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, if Lauren has another one of her thingies, would you go in and wake her up? Make sure she's okay? I just don't want to leave her alone, when she's not…" Blaine didn't know how to finish, but the look in his eyes said it all.

"Blaine, of course. I may not be the most paternal person ever, but I'm not a monster. I couldn't just let her panic herself back to sleep. Don't worry about it, I'll check on her if anything happens. I actually thought maybe I'd talk to her about it. Unless that'd be, y'know, weird."

Blaine grinned. "It might be, but I think it would be sweet of you. She'd probably appreciate it."

"Alright, then."

"Thanks, Kurt. I really mean it. You've been wonderful about the whole-"

"Blaine?"

"Yes?"

"Could you possibly shut up and kiss me instead?"

The next morning everyone was up early, Kurt and Blaine frantically shoving things into Blaine's suitcase, Lauren attempting to get a cab to come by the house.

"Yes. Yes, number 23." She repeated for the fifth time. "No, I think we can just meet it outside. Yes, I am aware that the elevators are very large."

After a quick pause, Lauren leapt up, horrified. "No! No, we do _not _want to hire a Japanese hooker!"

Blaine and Kurt started to giggle as they listened to Lauren's side of the conversation.

Kurt held up a shirt, then set it back down. "Too plaid. Should one of us rescue her? She got the creepy receptionist, apparently."

Blaine picked up the shirt and began to fold it. "I like plaid. And no way are we rescuing her- this is freaking hysterical.

From the other room, Lauren could be heard speaking very quickly. "No, I'm not racist! I am all for, um, equal-opportunity hooking. I would turn down _any_ of them- American, European, Asian, African, the whole freaking melting pot. We really just want a cab."

Another pause, then more slowly "They have hookers from Antarctica? Hang on a sec." Lauren clutched the phone to her chest. "Blaine? Do you want the company of a genuine Antarctican hooker on your ride to the airport?"

Blaine raised his eyebrows at Kurt. "He's gotten worse. I was only offered an Alaskan with relation to Sarah Palin." Then in answer to Lauren, "Tempting, but tell him Blaine says just send the goddamn cab. They know me there."

Lauren relayed the message, and finally got off the phone. Blaine emerged from the bedroom, trailed by a wheelie suitcase, and Kurt, who was wielding a necktie, and pleading with Blaine to "Wear a real tie, for once! You have at least five bowties in there-for only four days-and you're a grown-ass man! For god's sake, wear something that hangs at least one day!"

Blaine laughed and tugged the tie from his partner's hands. "I'll miss you too." He teased, shoving the dark gray necktie into his carry-on. "Tell you what? I'll go one step further, and present you with photographic evidence of my wearing a 'real' necktie."

Kurt smiled, leaning in to kiss Blaine. "I'll miss you so much. Be safe, eat green things. I love you."

Blaine kissed back. "I will. I love you too."

When the couple finally finished their goodbyes, Blaine reached out to hug Lauren, whispering in her ear as they squeezed each other. Kurt couldn't tell what he said, but it must've been something sweet, because Lauren smiled and whispered back. As Blaine left, Kurt and Lauren stood in the doorway, waving.

Turning to Lauren, Kurt smiled slightly. "He's not going to wear the tie, is he?"

She laughed. "No. I think he has a fatal bowtie addiction, actually. It's his main flaw. He'd go through withdrawal or something."

Kurt uttered a silent sigh of relief. If this was what a few days with Lauren would be like, he could most certainly handle it. A tiny part of him cringed, remembering what he'd promised Blaine. "So, up for shopping or anything? I have to go down to the office today, but I can get you anywhere you need to go."

Lauren nodded. "Yeah. That'd be great, thanks. Could you maybe show me how to get to the art museum?"

"You mean the Metropolitan Museum of Art?"

Lauren shrugged. "Yeah, that sounds familiar. Apparently people think it's _the _art museum."

"The Metropolitan is a pretty safe choice, then. I'd be happy to show you where it is, it's on my way to work. But, Lauren? I didn't know you were an art person."

"I'm not. My friend, Natalia, is. She's an artist, and I promised her that if I ever ended up in the city, I'd go to the art museum, and walk through every room. For her." Lauren blushed. "Sorry. I don't know why I just went on about all that."

Kurt shook his head. "Don't worry about it. She sounds great. Get your stuff, we can walk down together." He was almost positive that there was something more to Natalia. Resisting the temptation to pry, Kurt walked into his bedroom to grab his coat. On his bedside table a table, a photo of Blaine winked at him.

"You should be proud of me already." Kurt whispered to the photo. "Hell, I'm proud of me." He might never be Burt, Kurt realized, but he could be a pretty reasonable person.

Around midnight that evening, Kurt knocked on the door to the guest room, bearing two mugs of herbal tea along with a feeling of dread. He'd been putting this off all evening, but had decided to bite the bullet before going to bed. "It's Kurt. Can I come in?"

Lauren called back quickly, obviously wide awake. "Sure, it's open. Is everything okay?"

Kurt nodded as he entered. Lauren was sitting up in bed, wearing gray flannel pajama bottoms and a lacy black tank top. The room's lights were all on, and Lauren's laptop rested beside her. Obviously, she had no intention of trying to fall asleep. Kurt passed her a mug of tea, and perched himself on the edge of the bed. "Everything's fine. I thought you might like some company. After all" Kurt took a deep breath. "Nobody ever gets any sleep after their first night terror."

Lauren blushed fiercely. "Oh my god…you saw that?" After a moment, Kurt's last statement registered with Lauren. "Wait. You? You had night terrors?"

Kurt took a long sip of tea. "Yep. Since I was a freshman in high school. The first one was terrifying. Probably the worst. I didn't sleep for two days straight afterwards." He laughed quietly, remembering the aftermath. "My dad made me see a shrink."

Lauren smiled shyly. "Really?"

"Really." Kurt tilted his head a little. "Do you want to talk about it? I'm not an expert, but god knows I have experience."

Glancing at her hands, Lauren gathered her courage. "Did you have some sort of dream with it? Kind of a nightmare?"

"I did. I was being buried alive by silhouettes. In a sauna. Did you have one last night?" Kurt was blushing a little too, remembering what other sauna dreams he'd had.

"It was weird. I was in a river, drowning. I looked down, and I could see all of these people. Corpses, I think. I somehow knew that I'd become them…it sounds ridiculous now, but in the moment…"

"I know. It sucks. There's no other way to put it." Kurt set his tea down, studying Lauren's face. She looked a lot like he had. A little scared, a little angry. Mostly just lost. "I wish I could say that you get used to it, but you never truly do. At least, I didn't."

Lauren's face fell. "Oh. .I was sort of hoping to get over it, I guess. Is there anything you can do about it? Some kind of remedy." She shook her head. "Or am I kind of screwed?"

Kurt felt terrible. Lauren looked absolutely hopeless at the moment. "No! No, no. Sweetheart, you're not screwed. No." Kurt reached out and squeezed her knee, only partly aware that he had just called Lauren sweetheart. "There's a lot you can do. They have medicine- we can probably find someone who would prescribe you something without Amy's signature…or we could do something legal! I used to set my alarm for a half hour before my terrors usually started, but that's miserable."

"What did you do, then?"

"Oh." Kurt was taken aback. "After the alarm thing, I just let it go. If it happened, it happened. My dad would come in and wake me up-usually, he'd stay till I fell back asleep-and in the morning I'd be fine. In college, my roommate figured it out, and he was great about it. Then there was Blaine. You just have to trust people. And yourself."

Lauren wiped at her eyes, which Kurt realized were welling up. "Thanks. I can try that, I think."

"I'm sure you can." Kurt got up. "Was that too sappy?"

"No." Lauren laughed. "You can tell Blaine that you did an excellent job." Kurt began to leave the room. "Hey, Kurt?"

"Yes?" Kurt pivoted back to see Lauren clearing off the bed.

"Would you mind killing the lights. I'm gonna try to get some sleep." She smiled bravely.

"Of course." Kurt flicked the light switch, sending them into darkness. I'll leave the door open, okay?"

"Thanks." 

With that, Kurt shuffled down the hallway to his own bedroom, eager to text Blaine about his success. Lauren never fell asleep that night, but the next night, at one am, Kurt was there beside her, waking her up from a night terror. The strangest part, Kurt decided as he sat by Lauren after she'd fallen back into a fitful sleep, was how little he minded.


	4. Knock

**Hello, readers! I'm so sorry for the long delay…I was studying like crazy, busy with play rehearsals, and having an existential crisis. (Thanks to Boylikeme for helping me out of it, by the way.) Hope you enjoy this chapter. **

When Blaine arrived home late Thursday afternoon, he was greeted by Kurt, who was cheerful, and in an unusually laidback mood, and Lauren, who seemed happy despite the dark circles only partially hidden by her eye makeup. The two of them pounced on Blaine as soon as he walked in the door, hugging him, peppering him with questions, and, in Kurt's case, kissing him.

"I missed you!" Kurt murmured into his partner's ear. "So much."

Blaine smiled into Kurt's shoulder. "Missed you too. So much."

Just as the couple peeled apart, Lauren reappeared. She had whisked away Blaine's suitcase in an effort to give the two some space. As cute as they were, she felt a little awkward watching their PDAs. Blaine immediately turned to her, looking a little anxious. "Were you okay?"

Lauren paused, and then broke into a smile. "I was fine. Swear to god. No major mental breakdowns."

The three of them burst into laughter. As Kurt surveyed the scene, he didn't just see three people laughing as they stood in a doorway. He saw some kind of family. Two men, a couple, and a girl, living with them. They all cared about each other, all to different degrees, in different ways. That was a family, Kurt decided.

That evening, the three of them were curled up on the sofa, gazing at the Christmas tree, which they had just dug out of storage and decorated. Kurt had insisted on a color scheme of cream, gold, and glass. Lauren had backed him up, and before Blaine knew it, he was hanging tinsel on a glistening, color-coordinated tree. Just as he finished, there was a knock on the door.

"Who the hell…" He trailed of, in a surprisingly good-natured tone.

"I dunno." Lauren smirked. "Maybe another maladjusted niece of yours, looking for a place to stay."

Laughing, Blaine opened the door. There, standing in front of him, was Amy. His sister had gained weight, she was curvier, almost pudgy. Her hair was blown out into the style so popular with middle aged moms. Though her outfit was put together, her face was a wreck. Her mascara was smeared, and her eyes were puffy. She was glaring.

"Amy. Hello." Blaine was shocked. His voice was icy- he

Amy pushed past her brother, into the foyer. "Where is she?"

Automatically, Blaine blocked Amy, praying that Lauren didn't know what was going on. "What the hell is this?" He hissed to Amy, grabbing her arm. "Why did you come here, after the phone call, after everything you said?"

Twisting her arm away, Amy leaned against the wall. "She may be your little service project, but she's my goddamn daughter, Blaine, and I'm not going to force her on you for two and a half years. I came to get her."

Blaine was a fierce tomato red. "I don't think that's a good idea right now. Lauren is still recovering from what you and your husband did to her. And if I have to" his voice was raising- Kurt had gotten up and was hovering behind him, pale, and tense. "I will take this to court." With that, Blaine turned around striding past Kurt and into the living room.

Amy followed him. Lauren was literally shaking with fear as her mother entered the room. She didn't look up, glaring into her lap, trying not to cry.

Sitting in a chair across form Lauren, Amy began to talk. She sounded strangely robotic, and incredibly scary. "You can take it back. Just say you lied, tell your father that. No one else needs to know, Lauren. We can go back to being happy. You can come home. It's that easy. I know you can. Just say it, darling."

Lauren was taken aback by the desperateness rising in her mother's voice. "I didn't lie." She whispered. "I didn't lie." She said again, more loudly. "And I'm not willing to now."

The room fell silent. Blaine stood behind the sofa, one hand on Lauren's back. He gazed at Amy, who was starting to cry. Kurt was drifting towards the kitchen, scared and uncomfortable. Lauren just kept peering at her hands.

"I lost him, Lauren." Amy pointed to Blaine with a shaking finger. "But I can't give up on you that fast. I can't lose you too."

Abruptly, Lauren got up. "You lost me years ago." She turned to Blaine, and in a much softer tone said "I'll finish the dishes from dinner. If that's okay?"

Blaine nodded his consent quickly. "Yeah, of course." He sat in Lauren's old spot, and Kurt perched beside him. "Look, Amy, this is awkward for me, but…I don't think Lauren will come back."

Amy responded with a shuddering nod. Kurt passed her a box of tissues, not so much out of sympathy, but out of the fear the she would drip on his favorite piece of furniture.

Blaine continued "So we have a couple options. The first one is obvious." He leaned across, his elbows on his knees. "I know you don't like it, but I am begging you, Amy, for Lauren's sake…let her stay here?"

Two dead quite minutes passed before Amy spoke. "I'm assuming there's paper work?" She was sobbing, but seemed set in her decision.

Blaine and Kurt exchanged quick grins, taken aback. "Yeah. A few transfer of medical power forms, some other things. I can draw them up tonight, and get them notarized in the morning. Have it finished."

Amy nodded. "I can get a hotel tonight."

Kurt got up. "I'll call a cab. It's late." The other two adults murmured agreement.

Sighing, Amy got up. "Will you tell Lauren that…I'm sorry things didn't work out?" She gathered her things hurriedly. "Just make sure she's happy."

The irony of this struck Blaine, as the things that did make Lauren happy seemed to disgust Amy to no end. Nonetheless, he agreed. "I'll tell her."

After Amy left, Blaine ventured into the kitchen. Lauren was sitting on the floor, her back to the sink, holding a plate. She looked dazed. Blaine sat down beside her, gently taking the plate and setting it down.

"So. She came."

"She came." Lauren was quiet, whispering.

"I have some news." Blaine was treading carefully. Kurt had come in, and was leaning on the counter, watching Lauren.

"I have to go back." Lauren muttered flatly.

"No! No, no. You didn't think I'd let her, did you?" Blaine shook his head. "You get to stay. Your mom signed the forms. Till you're eighteen, I'm kind of in charge of you." Blaine smiled.

Lauren immediately grinned, starting to cry a few tears of happiness. "Thank you…oh my god. Blaine. Kurt. You guys, thank you! I-You have no idea, what it means, to not have to go back. Oh my god." She wiped her eyes, still grinning. "Wow. This is sudden."

"Yeah." Blaine agreed. "Just don't expect me to be all parental, okay? That would be…"

"Creepy." Lauren supplied. "It's fine. I-wow."

Kurt finally broke the spell. Bouncing up from his position on the counter, he let out a happy little shriek. "Oh my god! Do you know what this means, Blaine? We get Lauren and" he gasped "A redecorating job!"

The three of them burst out laughing. "The guest room!" Blaine choked out, in between guffaws.

"The guest room!" Kurt repeated.

Lauren finally managed to stop laughing for a moment. "Wait…what the hell is so funny?"

With that, the three of them were off again. They were collapsed in a pile, the dish tangled among them, their heads leaned on one another. It was then that Blaine knew everything from here on out, his love life, his niece, his future, would be better than fine. They would be great.


	5. Turning Tables

Weeks later, once Lauren had moved into the guest room (Painted deep brown, with vintage gold and cream accents, along with all of Lauren's indie posters and quirky pieces of metal.) and the three of them had settled into a routine, Kurt and Blaine came home to find Lauren's bedroom door closed tight.

"Huh." Blaine commented. "Weird…you think she's okay?" He tilted his head, and caught a few strains of Ingrid Michelson music.

Kurt only shrugged and tossed down his satchel. He muttered something under his breath before hurrying into the bathroom, gripping an envelope.

Blaine dropped his briefcase, and followed his husband down the hall. "Kurt?" He called through the door. "You okay, babe?"

Kurt called back, his voice steady and calm. "I'm fine. I just need a couple minutes. It was utterly insane at Vogue today…just thinking stuff through. Why don't you…go check on Lauren?"

Nodding, Blaine tossed his suit coat onto the master bed before attempting to enter what he had jokingly dubbed the Indie Den. Knocking lightly on the door, he called his niece's name. "Lauren? Laur. We're home."

He was greeted by a disheveled-sounding grunt. The music got markedly louder. Lauren had never, in her month or so staying at the apartment, been moody. Blaine wasn't sure if this was her inaugural display of angst, or something serious. Impulsively, he pushed the door open. Lauren was sprawled on the floor, surrounded by a box of tissues and an envelope. She was crying.

"Lauren!" Blaine exclaimed. "Sweetheart-"

Lauren pushed herself up onto her elbows. Her face was an angry, red, teary mask. "Get out! Please. Just…get out!"

Blaine looked befuddled. "Wait. Whatever's wrong…we can figure it out. Do you want to talk about it?" He'd never seen Lauren like this before, and had no idea what it meant.

"Get out!" Lauren's voice was rising. "What the hell are you doing? Cross examining me?"

Blaine flinched. One side, his logical, sane, calm side knew that Lauren was upset, and obviously not think straight. The other side remembered his father yelling something similar during one of their fights. The illogical side won out, and Blaine snapped. "Don't you dare 'What the hell?' me! Jesus, Lauren! I was trying to be reasonable, but-"

Both of them were yelling now. "You know who you sound just like? Amy!" She roared, realizing what she'd said right after she'd said it.

Kurt suddenly showed up in the doorway, his face red, and his voice matching the volume of Blaine, Lauren, and the music. "Will you two both shut the fuck up?"

Everyone went silent. Blaine pivoted out of the room. Lauren turned off the music and shut the door, flopping to her bed, the dramatic sobs giving way to silent tears.

Meanwhile Kurt and Blaine settled on opposite ends of the sofa.

"I-I'm sorry." Kurt sighed. "I was out of line."

"So was I. and so am I." Blaine reached across and gave Kurt's foot a gentle squeeze. "Hey…you're crying. Love, what's wrong?"

Kurt laughed softly, wiping his eyes. "So are you."

The two of them found themselves in a tight embrace. "How gay are we?" Blaine mumbled into Kurt's ear.

"Very gay." Kurt agreed, allowing Blaine to settle into the crook of his arm. "Hey, about the envelope I had?"

An hour later, Lauren appeared in the living room, her eyes pink and her hair ruffled. She stood silently, looking in on the scene. Kurt was rubbing Blaine's shoulders, humming softly under his breath. Blaine's eyes were closed, and they both looked almost as fragile as Lauren felt. They were beautiful, Lauren decided.

"Hi…" she whispered.

The men looked up, and murmured similar greetings. Lauren nodded, before continuing. "I'm really sorry about...earlier. It was childish of me. Totally stupid. I really can't believe I acted like that, after you've both been so wonderful. It's just…I got a letter today." She held up a folded piece of paper. "Remember Natasha? The artist? My old friend from Ohio? Well, she was my first female crush. She was the reason I came out, actually. Last week, I told her about me, and about her. I said I'd come down some weekend, and maybe we could be a couple…"

Kurt and Blaine exchanged glances, obviously realizing where this was going, and feeling terrible for Lauren.

"She got back to me today. She doesn't feel the same way. And she said it freaked her out…so she asked me not to contact her. Ever again." She wiped away a few tears. "Anyway, I was a bitch. I'm sorry."

Blaine patted the sofa, nodding at Lauren. "It's fine. And I'm sorry about Natasha. I know you liked her a lot. And I'm sorry about barging in…it was ridiculous. I'm still new at this, y'know?"

Kurt sat up straighter as Lauren sat down. "Since we're all apologizing, I should join in. I behaved like an animal. But" Kurt held up his own envelope "I got my own weird letter. A job offer, actually. Costume design for a new musical, based off Marie Antoinette."

Lauren's eyes lit up. "Oh my god! Kurt, congratulations! That is _wonderful_! Oh my god, how you!"

Blaine nodded. "That's what I said. There's this one problem, though."

"It's in LA." Kurt broke in. "And there's no way that I'm moving out there. Even short term." He smiled at Blaine. "Despite what my over-supportive husband here says, my life is here, and furthermore, the tofu in California tastes weird. I would know. Anyway, it put me on edge, and I was a monster. So I apologize. To both of you."

"You know" Lauren said slowly "I think we had our first official family fight."

"Seriously." Blaine agreed. "Care to celebrate with champagne and Thai takeout?"

"I'll call the takeout people." Kurt offered.

"I'm all for it." Lauren smirked. "Bribing the teenager with underage drinking- very classy!"

Blaine smirked back. "Who says you're not getting sparkling cider?"

Lauren planted a kiss on her uncle's cheek as she strolled by. "The fact that we only have champagne. One glass?"

"Half. Just this once. Only because I'm having teenage gay bar flashbacks."

"Thank you!" Lauren seemed to lighten up still more. "Love you."

Blaine's face transformed itself into a silly grin. "Love you too, Laur."

**To M.M. with love…**


	6. Toxic

By mid-march, Lauren's night terrors had lessened to one or two a week, thanks to the medication that had been procured using Amy's documents, and the fact that Blaine had convinced Amy not to make contact with Lauren. On one moonless Thursday night, she awoke around two am, not to a night terror, but to the sound of retching coming from the public bathroom. Shaking her head, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Lauren slipped out of her bed, nearly tripping over her backpack and guitar case on her way to the door. She walked out into the hall, where she was struck by the glow of light coming from behind the bathroom door along with the retching. Near certain of what was happening, Lauren knocked gently on the bathroom door.

"Hey? Um…whoever's in there, are you okay?" She called out, above the slowly subsiding retching. "Can I come in?"

The voice, phlegmy and weak, replied. "I'm…come in." And was followed by another burst of gagging.

Lauren walked in to find Kurt hunched over the toilet, kneeling on the bathmat and wiping traces of vomit away from his chin. He looked sick and miserable, his silk pajamas clinging to his sweaty body, his face pale, and his eyes watering.

"Oh my god…Kurt, what the hell happened?" Lauren asked sympathetically, automatically beginning to wet a washcloth with warm water, preparing to pass it to Kurt. She was well-experienced in taking care of people, having withdrawn from her parents by the age of thirteen.

Kurt gratefully accepted the washcloth, wiping his face gingerly, blushing a little. "I think food poising. Blaine's throwing up in the other bathroom. I thought you were him, actually." He sighed slightly. "Sorry, by the way, that you had to see this. I'm a mess."

Lauren shook her head, pushing herself up on the counter, sitting cross-legged. "It's fine." she smiled slightly. "You might recall watching me sob wildly, scream like a banshee, and try to smother myself with a decorative pillow two nights ago? If _that's _not seeing a mess, nothing is."

Kurt smiled, leaning back against the wall. "Duly noted." He gripped his stomach tightly, curling into a ball. "Goddamn fish. Never should have ordered that in a sketchy restaurant."

"Mmm-hmm. Do you want anything? Medicine? Ginger ale?" Lauren took in Kurt's position, concerned.

"Um." Kurt thought for a moment "We have medicine I think. Pepto-Bismol, please. Anything fizzy that we have to drink. Hot water bottle, maybe? Could you start the tea kettle?"

"Sure. I'll get it. Stay put…not that you're going anywhere." Lauren slid off the counter, handing Kurt another washcloth as she left. When she passed him the washcloth, their fingers touched a moment. Lauren found herself absently pushing back a few strands of Kurt's hair. Quickly, she pulled her hand back, despite the fact that Kurt made no gesture against the hair-stroking, and hurried toward the kitchen.

"Laur?" Kurt had taken to using Blaine's nickname for Lauren as well. "Could you check on Blaine for me? He ate more than me, I think…"

"Sure, sure." With that, Lauren was off to the master bathroom, and Kurt was vomiting again.

The door to the master bathroom was wide open, and Blaine was in a position similar to Kurt's, although he had managed to wedge himself in between the toilet and the corner of the wall. His face was redder than usual, and although he wasn't currently throwing up, Lauren noticed a few streaks of vomit surrounding Blaine's huddled body.

"Hi." At her words, Blaine looked up, surprised and stricken in the way only a sick person can be.

"Hi…" Blaine trailed off, gazing at Lauren with glazed, confused eyes.

"Food poisoning, right?" Lauren started to wipe up the vomit, wincing slightly, and passed Blaine a washcloth of his own. "Kurt has it to, but I'm guessing you know that by now."

"Yeah." Blaine chuckled ruefully. "Yeah. Actually, I need to watch the pillow cases."

Lauren had to laugh at that. "Oh, god, Blaine. You're sick- I'll get them." She finished her cleaning and sat beside Blaine for a moment. "Kurt's worried about you."

Blaine smiled weakly at the mention of his partner. "I'm worried about him. He hates this type of virus."

"So I gathered." Lauren agreed. "Look, I'm going to get him some stuff. Do you want me to bring you anything?"

Blaine was doleful. "Ugh. Water and some meds, I guess. Grab my bathrobe for me too, would you Laur?"

"No problem." She agreed. "I'll be back. Feel better, okay, Blaine?"

"I feel like shit at this point." Blaine muttered "So no promises there."

Lauren only shook her head as she hurried off to gather supplies, yawning while she went.

A few minutes later, she stuck her head back into the public bathroom, where Kurt was lying back against the wall, breathing deeply. Lauren shifted her pile of stuff, studying Kurt. It was odd, she decided to see a grown man in that position. He looked so vulnerable, so young. Another thought struck Lauren, just as she was about to say something. The situation wasn't even incredibly weird. Kurt was lying on the floor, looked like a ten year old, and was very possibly asleep, and she was hardly even uncomfortable. Lauren shook her head in wonder. Getting used to getting used to something was striking her as a little bit bizarre.

"I brought your stuff." She whispered, kneeling down beside Kurt. "How are you feeling?"

Kurt shifted momentarily, the fluttered his eyes open. "Thanks." He reached for the medicine and the glass of sprite. "Dismal. But I may recover eventually."

Lauren rolled her eyes. Blaine had once mentioned what a diva Kurt could be when he was sick, and Lauren was starting to agree. Nonetheless, she was relatively cheerful considering the circumstances when she responded. "Want me to get you a pillow or something? So you can sleep here?"

Kurt smiled a little at the offer, seemingly touched. "I'd love that." He paused for a moment, taking a delicate sip of soda. "Although the pillows on our bed may be a little, erm, out of the question at the moment."

"I noticed. I'll get you one of mine. You should probably try to sleep though." Lauren was yawning herself as she made her exit. "I'll kill the lights."

Kurt was uncharacteristically compliant for a sick diva, accepting the pillow and falling to sleep quickly.

When Lauren handed Blaine his medicine and water, he gulped the pill and the drink down instantly, shaking a little as he reached for his robe.

"You look like hell." Lauren commented, helping him cover himself with the puffy mass of fabric. "No offense."

"None taken." Blaine grunted in return. "I feel like hell."

Lauren kept herself awake until six in the morning, shuffling back and forth from bathroom to bathroom, listening to either one of the men retch, fetching drinks and cleaning splatters. The pillows, freshly washed, were returned to the master bed, where Lauren literally collapsed into sleep just as the retching stopped for good and the sun came up over New York City.

By afternoon, Blaine and Kurt were both feeling well enough to be fully dressed, and to come running when Lauren-home from school, after justifiably pleading exhaustion-began gagging into the public bathroom. She looked up briefly, and upon seeing the pair watching with sympathy, feebly attempted to wipe off her mouth before squeaking out. "…Or maybe not food poisoning…"


End file.
